


Winter and Happier

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU non magic, Alternate Universe- Modern Setting - Freeform, Angst, Dysphoria, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Misgendering, One Shot, Trans Remus, established relationships - Freeform, hot tubs, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 01:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5477666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spending a weekend house-sitting for James' parents, the two couples have some plans.  But when Remus is given a slight set-back, Sirius is determined to make his boyfriend feel valid, and very loved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter and Happier

**Author's Note:**

> So this is written for FestiveLupin and for Deducing-Nerds on Tumblr who wanted trans Remus. The prompt: could you do trans!remus w sirius saying stuff like you are my boyfriend and you are a man and ily and stuff?
> 
> So this is shorter, just a little one shot, of our boys being adorable and loving to each other.

Nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet, Sirius dragged Remus by the fingers through the shop with one hand, the other bashing a trolley about to load up for their long weekend at the Potters’. Fleamont and Euphemia would be spending the next six months in Panaji where Fleamont had just purchased a new resort to add to their small empire they would someday be leaving to James. They asked James and Lily to keep watch over their home in Godric’s Hollow, which meant dragging Sirius and Remus away from their mundane jobs and lectures to spend a chilly, wintery weekend away.

Sirius was all for it, but Remus was less enthused as he was already falling behind on his lab work, but it was hard to tell his overly excited boyfriend no. In fact, it was damn near impossible to do so, which is how he found himself loading up the trolley with food he knew they shouldn’t be eating.

They were still a ways outside of the Hollow, in fact a little too close to the small village Remus had grown up in which always made him decidedly nervous. The chances of running into an old mate or two of his parents’ meant it increased the chances of someone recognising him and he was always, _always_ misgendered. Not that he made it a habit to return, as most of the people were nothing more than bigoted old biddies with knitting-and-gossip circles.

But whatever.

So far it was fine and they had too much food and booze for a single weekend, and Sirius’ enthusiasm was infectious.

“It’s great, you know. I mean really brilliant. To get out of the stuffy flat and away.” He babbled on as he threw several packets of biscuits in with the lot, not even bothering to check if they were the kind anyone liked. “God, to not have to look at another next book for the next four days…” He groaned, then twisted to pull Remus in for a soft kiss. “Aren’t you excited?”

Remus sighed, but couldn’t help his grin as he cupped Sirius’ cheek and nodded. “Yes, love. I am.”

“I knew it, you stodgy little prat. I knew your grumpy mood wouldn’t last an hour.” He stepped away. “Okay, we need…” With a hum, he tapped his foot. “Crisps. And…what else? Jamie said something about…ah fuck I wasn’t really listening.”

“He wanted juice,” Remus supplied.

“Uhg that’s all the way over there,” Sirius said, nodding several aisles over. 

“I’ll get it. Just meet me over there after you get the crisps.”

Sirius grinned. “And this is why I love you and you’re the best boyfriend in the world.”

“Flattery,” Remus said dryly, “will get you nowhere.”

“Except into those delightful pants of yours,” Sirius said and Remus blushed. He giggled, then kissed Remus on the tip of his nose before darting away.

Remus kept his gaze to the ground as he headed for the juice, and perused until he found the exact one James had asked for—as their best mate was incredibly fussy about it apparently and had made a rather large deal out of making sure they got the exact type because god _forbid_ he drink anything else. As he tucked one under his arm, his entire body froze.

Someone from somewhere behind him said his dead name. His stomach fell somewhere around his knees and he contemplated not looking up at all, but then it happened again, and someone’s _hand_ was now touching his _shoulder_ and he spun.

“It is you.”

He vaguely recognised the woman, someone who used to work with his mum before he left for London. “Erm,” he said, preparing himself to correct her. 

“I haven’t seen you in ages, darling! Look how tall you’ve got.”

Remus blinked at her, then out of the corner of his eye spotted Sirius and let himself breathe for a second. “Sorry, no.”

“No?” She frowned. “Of course you are. Aren’t you Hope’s daugh—”

“No,” Remus said more firmly as Sirius came to a stop, a glower already present on his face.

“But I remember you,” the woman continued to argue. “Hope used to bring you in on weekends. You were so…”

“Hi there,” Sirius said in a rush. “Sorry to interrupt but I need to steal my boyfriend. We’re running late, you see.” He grabbed Remus’ hand with great purpose and gave it a tug. 

“Boyfriend?” the woman asked, puzzled.

“Yes,” Remus replied. “Have a nice night.”

“Bint,” Sirius said before they were out of earshot, but he never really cared much for the feelings of others when they were misgendering Remus. It didn’t happen all the time, but enough for Remus to be prepared for what his boyfriend would say.

“She didn’t know. She hasn’t seen me since I was nine.”

“Who cares,” Sirius snapped. “Christ almighty, Moons. One bloody no should be enough for these people.” They stopped near the dry pasta and Sirius put his hand on Remus’ shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Remus nodded, but he wasn’t entirely sure about it. His gut was aching with that familiar twist of being unrecognised for who he was. For someone cruelly—whether it was intentional or not—reminding him of the struggles he’d gone through to get to where he was today. With just a word, a whisper of a dead name he no longer even really thought about on most days, it could be all undone.

He swallowed, then gave Sirius a smile. “Let’s just get out of here, yeah? Before James starts panicking.”

Sirius rolled his eyes at the thought, knowing their mate was sometimes more dramatic than he was, and he shoved the trolley to the front. Remus handled bagging the food whilst Sirius took care of payment, and without another incident, they were back on the road and heading to the Potters’.

*** 

“Oh it’s brilliant. It’s _beautiful_ ,” Sirius breathed as he watched the rather large, inflatable hot tub fill with air from the obnoxiously noisy air pump. James found the bloody thing online, had it shipped from the States, then set it up on the wooden deck his parents had recently added on to their garden. 

Remus was a bit perplexed by the whole thing. They were supposed to fill it with water, heat it, then soak out in the middle of a frigid snow flurry? He had no idea why no one else in the house saw the potential disaster this was going to be.

He could just see it now, especially with all the booze Sirius procured at the shop. Sirius and James would get pissed and decided to strip down and roll about like a couple of forest animals in the snowbank. Then they’d freeze their delicate bits off and Remus and Lily would be stuck with them in A&E listening to them moan about frostbite or something.

“I can practically hear you thinking from all the way over here,” Sirius complained. “So you can just stop it immediately.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled when Sirius’ arms came round his waist and hitched him close. “Just don’t…do anything stupid.”

“You worry too much.”

Remus snorted a little and turned his face to kiss Sirius’ cheek. “I don’t worry enough.”

“Bollocks,” Sirius breathed, and kissed the side of his neck. “I’m going to mix up a few drinks. Jamie’s already got the thing filling up and soon enough it’ll be warm and we can all get in. Also I’ve got a little present for you upstairs. And before your mind goes into the gutter, you dirty tart, it’s not a naked present.”

“Shows what you know. I planned to stay cosy in my jumper the _whole_ weekend,” Remus breathed.

Sirius looked affronted. “How _dare_ you, Remus Lupin. You are not allowed to say such things this weekend. Not. Allowed.”

Remus laughed, giving his boyfriend a shove toward the door, and when it slammed closed, he let out a breath. His eyes drifted back over to the hot tub and he sighed. No doubt James and Sirius would be wearing very little—if anything inside the warm water. And whilst he’d gotten drunk enough for gratuitous nudity in the past with his mates, the incident at the shop left him not really interested in showing off a body which wasn’t like theirs. He was not in a good place to look down at a bare chest and see breasts.

He also couldn’t really afford to destroy his binder in the bubbling water, which left him with the option of overly large t-shirt. And that often took the fun out of things like this. Which in turn made him feel worse.

He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut as he slipped inside and headed for the bedroom he and Sirius were set up in, but it was next to impossible. Not with the way he could see James and Lily watching him, or the knowing look on Sirius’ face.

He hoped he could slip by, but seconds later the door opened and Sirius walked in.

“Alright, I know it was that stupid cow at the shop so…do you want to talk about it?”

Remus sank onto the bed and bowed his head, shaking it. “It’s not as bad as it could be, you know. I just…I get so tired of this.”

Sirius knelt between Remus’ legs and touched the tops of his thighs gently. “I know, love. I do.”

“It’s frustrating. And it’s not fair.” 

“It isn’t,” Sirius agreed. “But you know it doesn’t matter what she thinks, right?”

Remus let out a slightly shaking breath. “I know it shouldn’t…”

“But it does,” Sirius finished for him. He reached up, cupping Remus’ cheeks. “You know how I feel. You are my boyfriend and I love you, and your gender is valid and I will fight anyone who says different.”

Remus let out a slightly trembling laugh and couldn’t help but love the man crouched between his legs. “I know.”

“Good. Now give us a kiss, yeah, and then I can get your present.”

Remus reached out, taking Sirius by the front of his shirt and kissed him soundly. “I love you,” he breathed.

“I love you so goddamn much,” Sirius said, mashing their noses together. “Now, just…hold on.” Backing up, he jumped to his feet and rushed to their cases, rummaging round until he came out with a small box. It wasn’t wrapped, but it was tied with a bow and he thrust it out to Remus. “I erm…well…Jamie helped me pick it out. This company was running a promo thing, they’re just getting started and well…you had mentioned something about this before. So…”

With a frown at his boyfriend’s rambling, Remus carefully undid the ribbon and pried the top off. Nestled in wrapping was…well he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. It looked a bit like a binder, but it was a similar colour to his own skin, and it was made out of a different material. 

“…what?”

“Well it’s for swimming,” Sirius said, worrying the hem of his shirt between his fingers. “It’s meant to match your skin, you know. So you don’t have to worry about t-shirts. I erm…I thought…”

He didn’t finish his thought as Remus had gotten up, crossed the distance between them, and pulled him in for a kiss. “Thank you,” he breathed, his voice thick. “Sirius I…thank you.”

Sirius laughed just a little, cupping Remus’ cheek lightly. “You’re welcome, you soppy, gay baby. I just really love you and I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” Remus said, and meant it. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel dysphoric, and it didn’t mean being misgendered had been erased, but knowing that Sirius loved him for who he was—exactly who he was no matter what he looked like or sounded like or identified as—it made Remus love him so much more. “You make me happy.”

“Good. I aim to please, you know.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “Yes, yourself.”

“Well this might get me head, right?”

“Christ,” Remus said, shoving his boyfriend back. “You’re a degenerate.”

“But you love me,” Sirius sang. 

“Yeah, you git. I do. Now let’s get dressed and get some drinks and freeze out of our skins in James’ stupid hot tub.”

*** 

It wasn’t ready for over an hour, but it was enough time for them to have a little bit of food to go with their booze. Sirius fixed everyone scotch and sodas, mutilating a lime in a poor attempt to make twists. Remus enjoyed sitting with Lily as James took the piss, but before long they were pleasantly buzzed and slipping in the warm, bubbly water.

The sides of the inflatable hot tub were squashy and comfortable, and Remus had never felt better in his swim binder. His swim shorts floated lazily round his knees, his feet carefully running up and down Sirius’ calf as they sat across from James and Lily who were cuddling.

Feeling something brush his nose, Remus looked up and saw that fat snowflakes had begun to fall from the sky, and he laughed. “We are completely daft. It’s snowing and we’re outside in a hot tub.”

James grinned. “Yeah, but it’s brilliant.”

Feeling Sirius nuzzle up into his side, Remus turned his face and pressed several kisses to his boyfriend’s needy cheeks. “Yeah,” he breathed, meaning it in so many different ways, “it really is.”


End file.
